Laurelwood Launches Summer Seasonal in Cans

Just in time for summer, Laurelwood Brewing is adding another canned beer to its lineup. Six-packs of Golden Ale will begin appearing on area store shelves in coming days and weeks and be available through September.

Recall that Laurelwood's first canned beer, Red Elephant IRA, was released in August 2015. The success of that beer helped push them toward releasing another beer. It's also true that owner/founder Mike De Kalb is a fan of canned beer.

"I think canned beer stays fresher and everyone knows how much easier it is than bottles to schlep around for summer activities," De Kalb said. "Our challenge was to decide which of our beers should be the second to be canned. We think Golden Ale is the perfect choice for summer."

If you aren't aware, Golden Ale is a longtime member of Laurelwood's stable of beers, having been brewed since virtually the beginning in 2001. The beer won Gold and Silver medals at the 2002 and 2013 World Beer Cup, respectively, as well as several Great American Beer Festival medals. It's no slouch.

As with the Red Elephant cans, production and canning of Golden Ale will be done at Laurelwood's flagship location on Sandy Blvd. De Kalb and his staff were concerned about their ability to manage the production and canning schedule when they launched Red Elephant, but they've worked things out and feel good about now adding a second canned beer.

"Our issue with Red Elephant, a year-round beer, is we couldn't wind up in an "out" situation," De Kalb said. "You can't let that happen when you have shelf space at Safeway, Fred Meyer and other large stores. We've tweaked the scheduling to the point where I'm confident we can proceed with the production and canning of two beers."

Meanwhile, production brewing is fully underway at Full Sail in Hood River. All of Laurelwood's six- and 12-packs (Workhorse only) of bottles are produced in the Gorge. Laurelwood beers are widely distributed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, California and British Columbia. Shipments are also reaching Puerto Rico and Japan.

I'm guessing Golden Ale will be as big of a hit as the Red Elephant cans have been. Because it's lighter and potentially appealing to a wider demographic, Golden Ale may even surpass the success of Red Elephant cans. Regardless, it's excellent timing on Laurelwood's part.

New 3-Way IPA Steps to the Plate for Summer

We all learned somewhere along the line that good things sometimes come in small packages. You can change that to read small aluminum packages with the release of Fort George Brewing's Summer Seasonal, 3-Way IPA. It's coming to shelves, pubs and bottleshops near you by the end of the week....June 6, officially.

This year's rendition of 3-Way is a step up from what it was last year. Fort George's collaborators this time around are Boneyard and Block 15, breweries that have achieved rock star status in Oregon and around the Northwest. The packaging reflects that notion.

The new 3-Way pours hazy blonde in the glass. There's a bit of residual sweetness in the backbone, a perfect veneer for the hops to latch onto. There's no stated IBU. "Taste it for yourself," they advise. Each of the collaborating breweries contributes to the end result.

If you're a fan of the aroma and flavor of Boneyard's RPM, Hop Venom and others, you will almost certainly like 3-Way IPA. There's a burst of high octane aroma on the nose and in the upfront flavor. Brilliant.

The Block 15 contribution to the beer seems to be in the mouthfeel, which is luscious, liquid hops. If you enjoy Sticky Hands, Space Cowboy or Bad Fish, well, you're going to have a similar tasting experience with 3-Way. Hooked.

The Fort George part of this beer appears to be the slightly bitter finish. That seems consistent with some of their other beers. 3-Way IPA isn't "San Diego" bitter, but there is a definite bitter tone in the finish. Some will find that refreshing; others may decide it detracts from the flavor.

Like most Fort George beers, you'll find 3-Way IPA in 16 oz cans. They're switching to six-packs of 12 oz cans for a couple of their year-round beers...Optimist and Quick Wit. But the seasonal 3-Way will be in the packaging we're all used to. Craft beer in cans works really well.

Special thanks to the folks at Fort George for sending a package of 3-Way to my doorstep a week ahead of the release date. Nicely done. This beer should be on the wish list of anyone who likes a beer with a zesty hoppy character.

Update: It looks like Fort George is ahead of schedule getting 3-Way out to retail outlets. I'm told it will be available in some Portland-area stores and pubs as early as tomorrow (the 3rd). Below is a schedule of release dates and party locations.